Overeating and hyperacidity

Overeating is characterized by eating large meals or eating more than you require. This can happen when you have no control over your food desires, or it could be because of the side effects of certain medications. Gastroesophageal reflux disease also known as GERD is characterized by acid reflux and heartburn which occurs due to eating large meals. At the bottom of the oesophagus lies a sphincter muscle which gets pressurized as a result of overeating. Because of this the high acid content of the stomach can flow back to esophagus. This causes burning sensation in the chest, stomach and throat. You may also experience acidic burps. Hyperacidity due to overeating may lead to many other conditions such as pressure on the stomach, hiccups, indigestion and uneasiness.

Overeating or eating too quickly may create difficulties to your digestive system and put pressure on the diaphragm that causes improper contractions in the diaphragm and cause hiccups. Poor digestion is mainly observed in people with hyperacidity. In order to control it, you need to follow certain patterns in your food chart. See to it that you control your desire to eat more. An alternative to this is to replace your meals with salads and foods that reduce the acidic content in your overall diet. Hyperacidity is not a serious condition until it is controlled through proper diet and lifestyle. However if it increases to an extent to GERD, you need take some treatment. Normally, hyperacidity is controlled by taking antacids or natural remedies such as eating sounf or fennel seeds or cumin seeds after eating meals.

Hyperacidity and ulcers

Hyperacidity is a result of eating spicy and acidic foods, side effects of medicines, alcohol consumption, overeating, heavy smoking or fasting. Lot of acids are secreted in the stomach and disturb the digestive functioning of the body. It can cause heart burn, flatulence, burping or blenching, steady pain in the abdomen or back, abdominal bloating, burning sensation in chest, oesophagus and stomach. In severe cases hyperacidity can lead to ulcers in the stomach, oesophagus or duodenum.
Strategies to avoid overeating and hyperacidity:

• Include salads in your diet: Whenever you sit for an afternoon meal, make sure that you include salads enriched with broccoli, tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber and corn. Filling your stomach with salads is an ideal way to stay away from overeating. An ideal meal consist of dal, rice or chapatis, vegetable or salads. 
• Eating at regular intervals: Eating food at regular intervals is ideal way to stop overeating. Make sure that you have enough in the breakfast and lunch. Avoid eating in between lunch and dinner. You may have a cup of coffee or tea in between lunch and dinner. However avoid eating any solid food. Make sure you eat at an interval of 4 hours. Some may recommend eating small meals after every two hours. However I would not recommend this. The reason is that when you tend to eat at an interval of every two hours, you may tend to eat more than required. You may also get bored eating the same stuff again and again. So the best way to manage your eating stuff is to eat heavy breakfast, followed by lunch at an interval of 4 hours and then finally go for a light easy to digest dinner. Make sure that you eat less in the dinner. 
• Avoid eating after 9 p.m.: It is recommended to eat your dinner before 9 p.m. I would suggest you to eat your dinner by 8 p.m. in order to avoid hyperacidity. Eating after 9 p.m. makes your meal very heavy to get digested. Digestion process slows down during night time. Hence it is recommended to eat less in the dinner and try eating your dinner as early as possible. This also helps in weight management.